Kieran Gibbs could be forgiven for thinking he is a bit of a late developer – at 19 he almost two years older than team mates Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere – yet despite his steady rise, the former Wimbledon prospect is finally making inroads towards a regular place in Arsène Wenger’s first team.
Gibbs featured for the final hour of the 3-1 win over Plymouth at the weekend, and with doubts over the fitness of Mikael Silvestre and Gael Clichy, he could be in line for a first Premiership start as Bolton visit the Emirates this weekend.
“I wasn’t expecting to come on but I was glad to get the call and I think I did okay. Plymouth gave us a hard game though and we are just glad to be through”
Whilst Kieran has experience of playing in the Carling Cup, he’s keen to stress the tournaments are very different. The left footed maestro also reaffirmed how important the oldest Cup competition in the world is to the Gunners.
“It was a big game and while I have played in the Carling Cup there were more first team players so it was an even better experience for me, to play with people like William Gallas.
“The FA Cup is a competition we all want to win, but we always want to win every competition anyway. “
Norwich City and Reading have both made enquiries about taking the prospect on loan this term, and although several of his Reserves colleagues have been farmed out, Gibbs himself believes it’s best if he remains with the club during January.
“Obviously it’s good for me to stay here and if I get games then it’s even better. I did set targets at the start of the season, and I am happy with the way it has gone.”
Taking the mantle from Gael Clichy is a massive task for the youngster, who follows the same path as Ashley Cole as an Academy graduate. But it doesn’t daunt the well spoken defender, who offered high praise for his French colleague.
“I know it’s a position where Arsenal have always had good players. Ashley Cole and now Gael Clichy, he is a world-class player and I can only learn good things from him.”
2009 may be a New Year, but Kieran will be looking to continue the massive steps in his development that he took during 2008, with the ultimate test coming if he’s selected against Bolton.
Article By – J.Sanderson
Do you rate Gibbs higher then Pedro and Traore, because I dont think all three will stay at Arsenal. I hope Gibbs does and his ability to play in diffrent positions will help him
J, any information about Conor Hendersons pro deal- i know he’s just signed one, but have you got views yourself or from him?
I think Traore’s long-term future might be on the left wing.. And his pace and excellent crossing will do a lot there for us. I think both Gibbs and Traore are wonderful prospects, already performing at a very very high level and knocking on the door of the first team squad.
i think pedro bothelo will push gibbs out of the 1st and eventually out of the club due to the lack of 1st team games gibbs would get.
J any news on washington have we signed him, are we close to signing him or have we pullled out?
Jay, one first team problem that has alarmed me this season has been the lack of width, especially with Rosicky, Nasri and Wallcott. Do you see any possibility of Gibbs starting in midfield in front of Clichy with the two alternating as they bomb forward? Or do you think it more likely that Vela may get more games now on the left, which would leave Gibbs fighting for a LB berth.
I have been following your site closely, mate. You are doing hell a job, mate, with all these updates.
Personally I reckon Traore, Botelho and Gibbs are too Simular to stay at the club. Neither Traore or Gibbs are very good defensively. Its kind of the same problem with Diaby, they have all got immense quality but they dont seem to fit in anywhere. Both Traore and Gibbs can beat players for fun, using their pace but they do seem to be lacking the end product. Thats why i believe that Arsene in the end will go for Pedro because the guy knows how to defend. He is a big guy who wont be pushed. He can stand up to the likes of Kevin Davies and use his his height to help us deal with our problems in the air. He too has plenty of pace but also seems to have an end product.
Thumbs up from a danish gooner who just booked his ticket for the Roma away match.
i like traore for winger, he’s like a forgotten man, Gibbs is also brill, i get the feeling he will play for us in midfield.
With clichy and pedro filling th left back.
Can anyone ever tell me about Gilbert, is he still our player, i guess we will sell him, but 2 a better club than leicester?
You say Gibbs is a late developer but ramsey and wilshere aint there yet aswell but Gibbs is a good player.
look all i can say is…. a maate of mine has met gibbs and ive heard hes up his arse big time and we have more talented players anyway/ just cos hes an academy player it does not mean he has a divine rite to make it. hes not as good as many others we have and hes a prick so all i can say is… i duno if gibbs is all that.if hes is then i eat my words.. well done to him but i do have my doubts.
If Kieran Gibbs is a prick then he’s the best actor in the world as well. He seems level-headed and quite conscious of where he’s at in his development. What you are trying to achieve with this speculative slander, john, I do not know.
Still haven’t changed my mind about Gibbs, but I’m more interested to hear how Gilbert is getting on at Leicester.. I assume he’s getting games, is there any word back on how he’s developing? Will he be farmed out for another season, let go, or given a chance?
Just remember Clichy is only 22/23.
It is hard to see any of the above mentioned players taking his spot in the next 5 or 6 years. And he is still improving.
Neither Gibbs or Traore are the answer in midfield, but Gibbs has looked pretty good at the back considering his lack of first team experience.
Hopefully J Simpson gets some good minutes at WBA and a few goals.
i think traore will come back next season as a left midfielder, thats where he has been playing at pompey and doing well (reportedly)
I don’t think Gibbs will be pushed out of Arsenal over losing the left back spot. He’s great attacking so he can also be a midfielder
i think gibbs will ultimately be a left back, and it would be up to traore and botelho to battle it out for the place of left wing, which i think pedro botelho will get. not the first team place yet, but i think hr would beat traore to it if there was. they seem much more attack minded players where gibbs can be aswell, but he has the ability to get rough and stuck in.
Lets face it there is not enough room for Gibbs, Pedro, Traore & Clichy although I think any of the 3 youngsters could play LM. I haven’t seen Gilbert, I rmember he played once or twice a while ago, I take it he is also a left sided player? I get the feeling Traore maybe on his way out, which would be a shame, I think a great prospect playing LM.
Gilbert plays consisently for Leicester and has even scored! He is fast, maybe too small for the Premier. Leicester are favouites for promotion so I imagine they would suit him. The fee? 10 bob at most not because of Gilbert’s inability but clubs down there have no dosh.
frank chikezie, gibbs is a talented left footer who can play both defence &midfield but have we forgotten traore ?
Wenger once said that Gibbs has the ability to be a top left back but the problem like all of them (Pedro and Traore) would be their defending.
Although Traore is still young I don’t think he will make it as a midfielder. He has put some solid performances but nothing that will make you say ‘wow’.
Pedro attacking wise looks great but defensively decent. It will be a battle between him and Gibbs although Pedro can play midfield. Both have great stamina.
Gibbs played LM against Porto and was laboured. Instead of taking on the defender for the 20 mins he was on for he decided to walk with the ball. He had space to dribble so that was baffling. H eplayed well v Inter once there so he has ability.
Gilbert is being done for drunk driving isn’t he? And he’s well known to be a disruptive influence. He keeps going on loan because no-one wants to buy him and we are running down his contract away from the first team. Jens Lehmann has more of a chance of playing for Arsenal first team again than Gilbert.
Late developer? He’s only 19! Clichy didn’t get his starting role till 21, in which he was getting no real competetion for the many games he played in the first team, as it seemed Cole would get injured and when he came back, Clichy would be out etc. Gibbs won’t have it so easy, and he’ll have to deal with Pedro. The way Traore has been used as LM at Pompy, I think it’s safe to assume that he’ll be competetion for Nasri next season.
The kid seems humble enough, and he seems incredibly versitile going forward. Like all 19 year olds, he needs to work on his defensive positioning and concentration but if he applies himself, he could become a very good player. Not one of Cole or Clichy’s standards, but one worth keeping.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he is kept till the end of the season as back-up to Gael and then when Armand and Pedro return, he is sent on loan in a smaller Premiership first team (Wigan maybe?) to be on level pegging, in terms of experience with the other two and to iron out many of the youthful problems young defenders always have where it isn’t a liability for us.
Although Traore is still young I don’t think he will make it as a midfielder. He has put some solid performances but nothing that will make you say ‘wow’.
The Brain said this on January 8, 2009 at 10:07 am
So you didn’t see Pompy v. Milan then? He was terrific. I can’t remember who it was (Oddo I think) he was playing against, but he made him his bitch everytime and thats when I first thought “Hmmm… he looks like a player we want.”
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Shame we don’t do RBs or CBs the way we do LBs. I understand CBs being the hardest position to create, but RBs is exactly the same as LBs just on a different foot! If Eboue does leave, which is very possible, on a free this summer we have no real cover for Sagna and I’m kind of worried. Gavin Hoyte is not good enough, in the conceivable future, to be no. 2 at Arsenal.
I dont think Armand traore suits our play on the left wing hes more suitable at left back but he cannot defend remeber the man utd game 4-0 he had a stinker. He is an out and out winger who gets crossers in. Hes more suited to a team that plays two wingers. Arsenal wingers are different they are more creative and try to find killer passes
john: teams evolve though! theo (out and out pacy winger) is nothing like hleb (playmaker who happens to be on the righthand side). Traore has had a couple bad games defensively (Utd, and Sevilla game where it was him alone v. Alves and Navas) but he was 18! Most 18 year old footballers have off days, especially when playing against the likes of Ronaldo and Alves. He has been incredibly solid at the back according to my mate who supports Pompy and watches them a lot more regularly than I do. He won’t be as good as Clichy, its rare a player will, but he could still be very good. Personally, I think it’ll be like if-Eboue-moving-to-RM-worked as Traore will offer a full backs cover but will be able to offer pace and directness at RW.
your welcome..
Gibbs quality is undoubted as is Pedro’s and Traore’s. The only question is will they accept squad player status for the next few years. Also Wenger will not want to halt a players career if hes not getting enough games, even though he is good enough to make it at Arsenal.
The interesting thing is Man U seem to be able to hold onto players such as O’shea, Brown and Phil Neville just as squad players
Samuel: Sure Traore played well against Milan but that was because Zambrotta had no cover in front of him. Milan were playing an awkward diamond where there was imbalance on the right so traore and belhadj were able to double up. He has potential but I don’t think great potential, just a solid player.
I think Arsenal need someone that could take on the full back and cross BUT also play passes like a central midfielder. We need another Hleb, Pires, Reyes or Ljungberg. Hopefully Nasri can get better running with his left.
i think Gibbs might actually overtake Clichy. He needs to evolve some defensive abilities, but I believe he allready is better offensive and got a mad shot on him too.
He isen’t much slower than Clichy either, and that says alot.
If Clichy isen’t ready he might even get his debut on sunday with Silvestre out. Gallas is also out so that gotta open up for Nordtveit on the bench?
Pff. We have some enormous problem at the defenders row: we don’t have substitue for Toure and Djourou. Just Nordtveit I think. Or will Song be alright? And Clichy is not 100%.
HAHAHAHAHA @ suggesting Gibbs will be better than Clichy. Gael may have hit some bad form but he is on par to become one of the worlds best full backs. I wish Gibbs was that good, but its never gonna happen.
I’m not sure about the weekend. Is Toure or Song fit? If both are out, I’d still think the boss will put Sagna in the middle and drop Eboue to RB over Nordtveit, considering how far away from match fitness the kid is.
Nordtveit is a long way from starting for the first team. I imagine our worst-case scenario is for Song to have to fill in, and he’s proven he can do the job there.
I believe Gibbs is the next Ashley Cole, obviously minus the ass-holishness. For his age, he is a very tidy defender. He has silky attacking skills, and great pace. He has a bright future and for me he’s the best youngster behind Wilshire and Ramsey.
eh yo samuel everyones entitled to their opinion so wat u laughin at lool;). people could say summin bwt ur ones but u knw with the essay type comments i doubt they would even read it. and boomer’s gt a point. just coz i said essay dusnt mean im talkin a* potential by the way lool.
eneways yeh i fnk well play sagna at centre back.
did anyone see setantas confirmed arsenal back4 line up against portsmouth.
clichy-sagna-gallas-silvestre lool thts wat they “confirmed” lte i knw but funny..
i dont c why its so funny to say gibbs could be better then clichy in years to come because no thought clichy was better then ashley cole when he was at arsenal.
Gilbert plays consisently for Leicester and has even scored! He is fast, maybe too small for the Premier.
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Dixie, you are forgetting that despite Sagna being small, he has a high 90s percentage won in aerial duels. But having said that, Gilbert hasnt covered himself in glory with his off-the-field antics and public fallouts with coaches during 2 loan moves.
when the next article coming J we need our daily youngguns fix :)
i agree gooneguy sandeson we need ou daily youngguns fix, its like fiends need needles, sanderson last year u was so good during the transfer market u updated nearly 3 times a day
whoever said gibbs is a prick is a moron cos i went to school with him and i knew him for 5 years (riddlesdown high school). Hes probs one of the down to earth guys you can meet. So john ur friend is a ass-munch.